


Day 3: Modern World

by broadwaylovinghooman



Series: Nico di Angelo Birthday Week 2021 [3]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alive Bianca di Angelo, Gen, Lotus Hotel and Casino, Pre-The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:35:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29096616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broadwaylovinghooman/pseuds/broadwaylovinghooman
Summary: Nico and Bianca step out of the Lotus Hotel for the first time in 70 years.Or, author tries and fails to write from a 10 year old’s POV
Relationships: Bianca di Angelo & Nico di Angelo, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: Nico di Angelo Birthday Week 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131101
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22





	Day 3: Modern World

“I need you to come with me.”

Nico glanced over from where he was focused on his game. He was so close to passing the level he’d been working on for the past few hours. As he was pulled from his trance, the sights and sounds of the casino overwhelmed his senses. Brightly colored lights flashed over the people and the mechanical sound of the arcade filled the air. Screams from the roller coasters and waterslides echoed on the walls. It took him a moment to collect himself before turning to the voice. An important looking man stood next to him. He was wearing a suit and everything. 

Nico turned back to his game. “Bianca always told me never to talk to strangers.” 

The man put a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to look over. Nico locked onto his eyes which were swirling like a vortex. “I’m not a stranger. I’m a very old friend of your father’s.”

Nico cocked his head in confusion. “My father’s dead. I don’t remember him much. Bi doesn’t either. My mamma died too. So no, I don’t know you.” He shrugged the man’s large hand off his shoulder and started to walk to another game, one that was away from the odd man. He was sucked into the wonder that was the Lotus Hotel and Casino. Games and machines begged for his attention, whirring and flashing in the absence of a player. He chose one at random and started playing. He was glad to be free of the distracting aura of that man. 

But he was followed, it seemed, when he heard a voice from behind him. “Look, kid. I don’t have time for this. I need you to come with me.” 

Nico’s eyes flashed in annoyance as he was once again pulled from his game. He was done with dealing with this man. He just wanted to play. That was what they were here for, wasn’t it? “No! Leave me alone!”

“Kid, seriously-”

“What’s going on here?” Bianca pushed her way in front of Nico and faced the man with her hands on her hips. She looked up at his face and gasped. “You!” Nico struggled to see past his sister to see what had surprised her. 

“Yes, it is me.” Oh, she was just talking to the man. 

Nico looked between the two of them. “What do you mean? Who is this Bi?”

She was staring so intently at the man, she jumped slightly as he spoke. “Nico, don’t you remember? This is the lawyer that brought us here after Mamma and Papa died.”

Nico squinted his eyes at the man. He guessed he looked vaguely familiar. He shrugged. 

“I need you to come with me,” the man repeated for the third time. 

Bianca nodded hurriedly. “Of course. What do you need us to do?” Nico didn’t understand why Bianca was so eager to please the lawyer.

He glanced down at the watch on his wrist. “Gather your things. Meet me at the doors in no more than fifteen minutes. I need to get you out of here.”

Nico’s face fell. “Can’t we stay just a _little_ longer? It’s so much fun here!”

“No, Nico. Now we best go pack. We don’t have long.”

***PJOHOOTOA***

“I need you to understand,” the lawyer said once they had gathered at the exit to the casino, “once we pass through these doors, things are going to be quite different than they were when you first came to this place. There was a… technological revolution in the month you’ve been in here. Many new inventions were fast-tracked to the market. The city had a full renovation. There will be few things that are the same.”

Bianca frowned, shifting her bag from one arm to the other. It contained many of the clothes and other trinkets they were given while staying at the hotel. “Well, surely it can’t be that different! We haven't heard any construction near us.”

The man grimaced. “I assure you, what you are going to see as you pass through these doors is like nothing you have ever seen before.”

Nico grabbed Bianca’s hand. He was both excited and a little scared to see what would lie behind the frosted glass doors. In his other hand, he grasped his favorite Mythomagic set. He had made Bianca pack every card and figurine he had accumulated from the game during his time in the casino. 

“Are you ready?” the lawyer asked.

The siblings nodded. Together, they pushed open the double doors.

***PJOHOOTOA***

The first thing that hit Nico was the smell. The strong scent of gasoline mixed with smoke filled his nostrils, sending him into an immediate coughing fit. He doubled over as his throat and lungs burned due to the toxic air. His chest heaved painfully. Bianca didn’t seem to be faring any better, Nico noticed as he looked over. The lawyer awkwardly placed a hand on each of their shoulders. He looked very uncomfortable with the action.

Once they had both recovered, Nico looked up at the sky. It was an unappealing grey color. The air was thick with smoke. Surely the war couldn’t have caused this much damage in just a month! There was hardly any green anywhere. The streets were framed by large, concrete buildings as opposed to the parked that surrounded them before. It was a truly dreadful sight. 

But at that moment, Nico realized what the lawyer had meant about the technological advancements. Cars were parked bumper to bumper throughout the streets. They stretched for as far as he could see. They were far sleeker and cleaner than he remembered them being before he entered the casino. Neon lights illuminated the city. They were placed on every building, promising a good time to anyone who dared to enter its doors. 

The most amazing, however, was the colored pictures that stood on high polls near the streets. They moved, as if by magic! The man was right. He had never seen anything like it in his life. With all the changes, for a moment he wondered if he had been transported forward in time. He almost mentioned his thoughts to Bianca, before realizing that was silly.

Speaking of Bianca, he looked over and saw that she was in a similar state of awe as he was. She stared at their surroundings with a look of wonder on her face. “It’s like something out of a storybook,” she muttered. 

Nico made a noise of agreement. He stared in amazement at the sights for another moment before the lawyer cleared his throat from behind them. Nico tore his eyes away from the city and looked back at the man, Bianca doing the same. 

“We really must get going,” he said. Bianca nodded, albeit somewhat absent. Like himself, she seemed to be in a state of shock. The man smirked at their expressions and stepped out into the street. 

That seemed to snap Bianca out of it. She made a noise of alarm and moved to pull him back onto the sidewalk. But before she could, he stuck his fingers into his mouth and let out a piercing whistle. Both he and Bianca stepped back in surprise at the noise, but the masses of people around them seemed unaffected. 

A yellow car screeched to a stop on the curb next to them. The man gestured for them to follow him to it. He took their bags from them and placed them in the trunk, the siblings being too out of it to do it themselves. He pulled the door open the door for them as well and softly pushed their backs in order to get them to climb inside. 

The interior of the car was much nicer than any Nico had ever been in before. He sat between Bianca and the man, still gripping his cards in his hand. The man leaned forward and said to the driver, “McCarran International.” 

Bianca turned to the man. “Where are we going?” she asked, curiously. 

“Maine. From there, your new home.”

**Author's Note:**

> I really liked how this one turned out! I also really like this concept... How would you feel if I turned this into a multichapter following Nico and Bianca at Westover as they adjust to the modern world? Leave a comment if that's something you might want to see!


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